Sign up to receive free email alerts when patent applications with chosen keywords are publishedSIGN UP

Abstract:

Methods, systems and articles of manufacture for computerized employment
recruiting are provided. The system accesses a candidate database of
candidate data for a plurality of candidates and a job posting database.
The system compares the qualifications of the candidates to the job
criteria for the job postings and determines a match between the
qualifications and the job criteria. The system also identifies a
inferred links between the candidates and the employer for the job
postings to provide an added reliability factor to the referred
candidates. The system ranks the matched candidates based, at least in
part, using the inferred links and provides the ranked candidates to the
employer. The system may use ontology based, and semantic matching based,
algorithms for matching candidates to job postings, and also for
identifying inferred links between candidates and employers.

Claims:

1. A method for computerized employment recruiting, comprising the steps
of: accessing, by a computerized employment recruiting system, a
candidate database of candidate data for a plurality of candidates,
including a first candidate, said candidate data for each candidate
including candidate qualifications and candidate personal information;
accessing, by the computerized employment recruiting system, a job
posting database including job posting data for a plurality of job
postings, the job posting data for each job posting including employer
information and job criteria; comparing, by said employment recruiting
system, said candidate qualifications of said first candidate to said job
criteria for a plurality of said job postings.; determining, by said
employment recruiting system, a match between said candidate
qualifications of said first candidate and the job criteria for a first
job posting within said plurality of job postings; identifying, by said
employment recruiting system, a softlink between said first candidate and
said first job posting; determining a softlink relevance index for said
softlink; generating, by said employment recruiting system, a ranking of
said first candidate among a plurality of candidates for said first job
posting based, at least in part, upon said softlink relevance index.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of determining a match
between the candidate qualifications of said first candidate and the job
criteria for said first job posting within said plurality of job postings
utilizes a candidate matching algorithm which includes semantic matching
of terms within said candidate qualifications and terms within said first
job posting.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said candidate matching algorithm
further uses an ontology based classification of said job posting
database.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said method further comprises the steps
of: assigning a candidate qualification relevancy index to at least one
of said candidate qualifications for said first candidate; determining an
overall candidate qualification index for said first candidate based upon
said candidate qualification relevancy index; and wherein said step of
generating a ranking of said first candidate among a plurality of
candidates is based, at least in part, upon the candidate qualification
index for said first candidate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said softlink is a proximity based
softlink.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said softlink is a potential personal
reference softlink.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of: making
available to an employer for said first job posting a list of said
ranking of the first candidate among a plurality of candidates.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said list is made available to said
employer by transmitting the list of candidates via a cellular phone
network to a cellular communication device of said employer.

9. A system for computerized employment recruiting, comprising: an
employment recruiting system comprising at least one computer and at
least one employment recruiting software program, the employment
recruiting system operably coupled to a communication network for
providing communication between a data entry device of an employer
posting a job posting and said employment recruiting system, the
employment recruiting system configured to perform the following steps:
accessing a candidate database of candidate data for a plurality of
candidates, including a first candidate, said candidate data for each
candidate including candidate qualifications and candidate personal
information; accessing a job posting database including job posting data
for a plurality of job postings, the job posting data for each job
posting including employer information and job criteria; comparing said
candidate qualifications of said first candidate to said job criteria for
a plurality of said job postings.; determining a match between said
candidate qualifications of said first candidate and the job criteria for
a first job posting within said plurality of job postings; identifying a
softlink between said first candidate and said first job posting;
determining a softlink relevance index for said softlink; generating a
ranking of said first candidate among a plurality of candidates for said
first job posting based, at least in part, upon said softlink relevance
index.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said employment recruiting software
program includes a candidate matching algorithm which includes semantic
matching of terms within said candidate qualifications and terms within
said first job posting, and said step of determining a match between the
candidate qualifications of said first candidate and the job criteria for
said first job posting within said plurality of job postings utilizes
said candidate matching algorithm.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said candidate matching algorithm
further uses an ontology based classification of said job posting
database.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said employment recruiting system is
further configured to perform the steps of: assigning a candidate
qualification relevancy index to at least one of said candidate
qualifications for said first candidate; determining an overall candidate
qualification index for said first candidate based upon said candidate
qualification relevancy index; and wherein said step of generating a
ranking of said first candidate among a plurality of candidates is based,
at least in part, upon the candidate qualification index for said first
candidate.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein said softlink is a proximity based
softlink.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein said softlink is a potential personal
reference based softlink.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said employment recruiting system is
further configured to perform the steps of: making available to an
employer for said first job posting a list of said ranking of the first
candidate among a plurality of candidates.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said list is made available to said
employer by transmitting the list of candidates via a cellular phone
network to a cellular communication device of said employer.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein said data entry device is a cellular
communication device.

18. An article of manufacture comprising a computer program carrier
readable by a computer and embodying one or more instructions executable
by the computer to perform method steps for employment recruiting, the
method steps comprising: accessing a candidate database of candidate data
for a plurality of candidates, including a first candidate, said
candidate data for each candidate including candidate qualifications and
candidate personal information; accessing a job posting database
including job posting data for a plurality of job postings, the job
posting data for each job posting including employer information and job
criteria; comparing said candidate qualifications of said first candidate
to said job criteria for a plurality of said job postings.; determining a
match between said candidate qualifications of said first candidate and
the job criteria for a first job posting within said plurality of job
postings; identifying a softlink between said first candidate and said
first job posting; determining a softlink relevance index for said
softlink; generating a ranking of said first candidate among a plurality
of candidates for said first job posting based, at least in part, upon
said softlink relevance index

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein said instructions
executable by the computer includes a candidate matching algorithm which
includes semantic matching of terms within said candidate qualifications
and terms within said first job posting, and said step of determining a
match between the candidate qualifications of said first candidate and
the job criteria for said first job posting within said plurality of job
postings utilizes said candidate matching algorithm.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein said candidate
matching algorithm further uses an ontology based classification of said
job posting database.

Description:

BACKGROUND

[0001] The invention relates to employment recruiting; and more
particularly, to new computerized systems and methods for identifying and
providing the most appropriate employment candidates to an employer for a
job posting.

[0002] Computer accessible employment posting and search systems have now
existed for many years. While most of such systems are internet website
based, some proprietary networks still exist within some employment
agencies and placement services (such as a school's career counseling or
placement office). Examples of several internet based employment systems
include MONSTER.COM, CAREERBUILDER.COM and JOBS.COM.

[0003] The most basic employment systems simply include a database of job
postings from employers seeking employment candidates. The job postings
may include, for example, information regarding the employer for the job
posting, the type of job, job criteria, job qualifications, and job
location, and employer information such as employer name, address, and
contact information. The database is then searchable by a job searcher,
i.e. persons looking for a job or by an employment agent or placement
service trying to place a candidate with a job. Depending on the
complexity of the system, the job postings may be searched by keywords,
job classifications, job location, salary range, or other search
criteria. If the job searcher finds a job of interest, the system may
also allow the job searcher to submit a resume, or otherwise apply for
the job, with the employer.

[0004] On the employee side of the equation, some employment systems
include a database of prospective candidates with candidate data for each
candidate. The candidate data may include, for example, the candidate's
name and personal information such as address, phone number, and contact
information, education, employment history, including information
regarding previous employers, job qualifications, career goals, desired
job criteria, and even a resume. Employers and employment agents working
on behalf of employers can search the candidate database for desirable
candidates meeting the needs of the employers. Similar to searching the
job posting database, the system may allow searching for qualified and
desirable candidates by keyword(s) and other defined criteria, such as
qualifications, education, salary range, location, willingness to
relocate, etc.

[0005] The internet based employment systems mentioned above, such as
MONSTER.COM and CAREERBUILDER.COM, include both an employer job posting
database and a candidate database. Hence, these systems allow a job
searcher to search job postings over the internet, and to respond to a
desired job posting by electronically submitting a resume and/or
application to the employer for the job posting. The systems also allow
employers seeking job candidates to search the candidate database and to
contact desirable candidates, such as by sending an email advising of the
employer's interest, or by using the candidates' contact information
listed in the candidates' profiles in the candidate database.

[0006] However, current employment systems, such as those mentioned above,
frequently result in a large number of responses to job postings, as
there is no screening of the candidates prior to a candidates' submission
of a resume or application to the employer for the job posting. As a
result, an employer may be inundated with numerous resumes and
applications from less than qualified, or less than desirable,
candidates. The employer must sift through the applications to find the
most desirable candidates to follow-up in the hiring process. Similarly,
keyword searches of candidate databases by employers often result in a
large number of hits, with most of the hits being less than desirable.
The systems do not have an effective process for identifying the most
reliable and desirable candidates, or for providing these candidates to
the employers.

[0007] From the perspective of the job searcher, the keyword searches may
not identify all of the available job postings for which they may be
interested and/or qualified, or the searches may provide too many results
including many that are unsuitable or undesirable. Moreover, candidates
may not have time to frequently search the job postings in a database
because they are working another job or going to school. The job searcher
may not have access to the internet or the employment system.

[0008] Moreover, in the hiring process, beyond finding a candidate with
skills that match the job qualifications, personal references can be an
important and critical aspect in improving the chances of finding the
right candidate for a job. It is commonly known that the best job
candidates tend to be referrals from people known to the employer that
can provide a recommendation for the candidate. A referral can provide
information regarding a candidate that cannot be conveyed in a resume,
application, or other candidate data. In addition, a referral can
validate the candidate data available from the recruiting system, making
the candidate data, and the candidate, more reliable. Accordingly,
employers often first look to their network of friends, family and
business associates to find and interview potential employees. A referral
from a known person adds to the reliability of a candidate, making the
candidate more likely to be hired. This is especially true for small
businesses, where the business owner may be making the hiring decision.
However, an employer's available referrals are limited and can be quickly
exhausted without finding enough candidates. Currently available
employment recruiting systems do not provide a feature for improving the
reliability of candidates similar to a referral.

[0009] Accordingly, there is a need for an improved employment recruiting
system which overcomes some of the deficiencies of prior systems.

SUMMARY

[0010] The present invention is directed to a system, method and article
of manufacture for a computerized employment recruiting system which
matches candidates to job postings, identifies reliability factors
relating to candidates such as personal references or other indicators of
reliability, and provides a ranking of candidates to help an employer
find the most desirable candidates for a given job posting. Thus, rather
than requiring employers to search through long lists of apparently
"qualified" candidates, or requiring employees to search through numerous
job postings, the system of the present invention matches, validates and
ranks candidates for a given job posting. A list of the top ranked
candidates is provided to the employer so that the employer can review a
more manageable number of candidate search results. If the employer wants
to review more candidates, the system can then provide a list of the next
highest ranked candidates, and so on, until the employer has hired a
candidate, or the list of ranked candidates is exhausted.

[0011] Accordingly, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to
method for computerized employment recruiting. The method comprises a
step of storing and/or accessing, by a computerized employment recruiting
system, a candidate database of candidate data for a plurality of
candidates, including a first candidate. The candidate data for each
candidate includes candidate qualifications and candidate personal
information. The computerized employment recruiting system typically
comprises one or more computers, servers, and storage devices programmed
and configured to implement the method, as described in more detail
below.

[0012] The employment recruiting system also stores and/or accesses a job
posting database of job posting data for a plurality of job postings. The
job posting data for each job posting includes employer information and
job criteria. The job posting database and the candidate database may be
integrated into a single, integrated database or they may be separate
databases.

[0013] The system compares the qualifications of the first candidate and
the job criteria for the job postings and determines a match between the
qualifications of the first candidate and the job criteria for a first
job posting within the plurality of job postings. As used herein, the
term "match" or "matches," with respect to the step of matching the
candidate qualifications to the job criteria, means that a least a
portion of the qualifications matches at least a portion of the job
criteria, to a minimum degree. The minimum degree may vary for different
job searches, depending on various factors which may be chosen by the
system, by the employer and/or by the candidate, but generally indicates
that the candidate is determined to have the minimum qualifications
necessary to make the candidate of interest to the employer for the
respective job posting.

[0014] The system also identifies a "softlink" between the first candidate
and the employer for the first job posting. As used herein, the term
"softlink" means an inferred connection between a candidate and the
employer for a job posting tending to make the candidate a better
candidate for a job posting for an employer, wherein the connection is
based upon:

[0015] a. proximity data, including, (i) the proximity of the candidate's
residence to the location of the job or the employer for the job posting,
(ii) the proximity of a previous employer of the candidate and the
location of the job or the employer for the job posting, or (iii)
proximity of a personal reference of the candidate and the employer for
the job posting; or

[0016] b. identification of a potential personal reference for said
candidate by linking personal reference data of the personal reference
and the candidate data, and/or linking personal reference data of the
personal reference and employer data regarding the employer.

[0017] It may be easier to understand a softlink by comparing it to a
"hardlink," and by giving a few examples. A softlink is distinguishable
from a hardlink because a hardlink is an express connection between the
candidate and the job posting. For example, if the candidate lists as a
reference in his/her candidate data an employee of the employer for the
job posting, then there is a hardlink between the candidate and the job
posting because there exists a direct connection between the candidate
and the job posting, no assumptions need be made to make a connection
between them. On the other hand, a softlink would be inferred if the
candidate graduated from the same college in the same year as an employee
of the employer for the job posting. The system can analyze the
information using a matching algorithm to determine a softlink between
the candidate and the job posting based on assumption that there is a
reasonable likelihood that the employee of the employer may know the
candidate, such that the employee is a potential personal reference for
the for the candidate that is known to the employer. In other words, the
current employee has a potential link to the candidate and a link to the
employer, such that the system can infer a softlink between the candidate
and the employer.

[0018] As an example of a proximity based softlink, the system may
determine that the candidate's residential address is within a certain
proximity, such as within 500 meters, to the address of the job or the
employer. The system will identify this as a softlink because it is often
desirable to have an employee that lives close to the job location, and
the employer may be able to find personal references for the candidate
within the neighborhood.

[0019] The system then assigns a softlink relevance index to the
identified softlink. As used herein, the term "softlink relevance index"
means a factor related to a predicted level of relevance of a softlink to
a hiring decision by the employer for the job posting. Some types of
softlinks will be more relevant, or more important, to a hiring decision,
and therefore will have a higher relevance index, while other types of
softlinks may be less relevant, or less important, to a hiring decision,
and will have a lower relevance index. For example, a proximity softlink
based on the proximity of the candidate's residence to the job location
may be more likely to improve a candidate's desirability to an employer
than a softlink based on a chance that a potential personal reference
will turn out to be an actual reference. The system may use feedback of
historical employer contacts with candidates and employer hiring
decisions to adjust the way the system assigns a softlink relevance index
to a softlink.

[0020] Next, the employment recruiting system ranks the first candidate
among a plurality of candidates for the first job posting based, at least
in part, upon the softlink relevance index. The system will typically
match more than one candidate within the candidate database for the first
job posting. Therefore, the system ranks the candidates, including the
first candidate, in order of suitability and reliability for the job
posting. The ranking may take also take into account other factors in
addition to the softlink relevance index, such as qualifications, salary,
career goals, location, personal references, education, etc.

[0021] The system then transmits a list of a specified number of the top
ranked candidates (i.e. most desirable candidates) for the first job
posting to the employer (or other contact specified by the poster of the
job posting, such as a recruiter or employment agency). For example, the
system may transmit the top five ranked candidates, or a number of
candidates specified by the job poster. If the employer wants to see more
candidates for some reason (e.g. the employer wants to interview more
candidates, or the employer did not find a desirable hire), then the
system can transmit a list of the next highest ranked candidates, and so
on, upon the request of the employer.

[0022] In another aspect of the present invention, the system will utilize
a candidate comparing and matching algorithm to perform the steps of
comparing and matching the candidate qualification to the job criteria
wherein the algorithm uses an ontology driven approach to organizing the
qualifications and job criteria within the databases. This will capture
the skill classification and create a knowledge base of skills across
verticals. The term "ontology" means an organization of the qualification
data and job criteria data that is hierarchical and comprehensive of all
the data. Moreover, the algorithm uses the ontology based database to
perform a semantic match of candidate qualification, job criteria and
skill relevancy. Semantic matching means that the matching compares the
meaning of words and terms, and not just the terms themselves.

[0023] In still another aspect of the present invention, the system
provides for communication between the system and candidates and
employers through one or more cellular phone networks. In this way, the
system can communicate with a cellular phone or other cellular
communication device of candidates and employers, using short message
service ("SMS"), media message service ("MMS"), a custom application
("app") executing on the mobile device, or other suitable protocol. This
allows the system to be utilized by a candidate or employee without an
internet or private network connection to the system, or even without a
computer. The system can also be configured to enable communication
between a cellular device of a candidate and a cellular device of an
employer, without allowing either party to have direct access to the
other party.

[0024] Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a system
for performing computerized employment recruiting configured to implement
the method described above. The system comprises an employment recruiting
system having one or more computers, servers, and storage devices. The
computers are programmed to implement the employment recruiting methods
of the present invention. The storage devices store the candidate
database and job posting database.

[0025] The employment recruiting system is operably coupled to a
communication network to provide communication with a communication
device of a candidate or employer, such as an internet connected
computer, or a cellular communication device such as a mobile phone or
smart phone. The system may also comprise a website server hosting a
website configured to interface between the employment recruiting system
and the candidates and employers. The website may be connected to the
employment recruiting system through a communication network, or it may
even be integrated with the employment recruiting system.

[0026] The communication networks of the system may include a proprietary
network, LAN, WAN, cellular network, wireless network, wired telephone
network, the internet and/or other suitable network. The system and/or
the communication network may also include a mobile application interface
configured to receive application data from a mobile device such as a
mobile phone or other cellular network connected device, such as a
cellular mobile phone, PDA, smart phone or other portable cellular
device. The mobile application interface may communicate with a mobile
device using SMS, MMS, an app executing on the mobile device, or other
suitable protocol.

[0027] The system for employment recruiting is configured to perform the
following steps: (a) accessing a candidate database of candidate data for
a plurality of candidates, including a first candidate, the candidate
data of each candidate including candidate qualification and candidate
personal information; (b) accessing a job posting database of job posting
data for a plurality of job postings, the job posting data for each job
posting including employer information and job criteria; (c) comparing
the qualifications of the first candidate to the job criteria for a
plurality of the job postings; (d) determining a match between the
qualifications of the first candidate and the job criteria for a first
job posting within the plurality of job postings; (e) identifying a
softlink between the first candidate and the employer for the first job
posting; (f) determining a softlink relevance index for the identified
softlink; and (g) generating a ranking of the first candidate among a
plurality of candidates for the first job posting based, at least in
part, upon the softlink relevance index.

[0028] Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to an
article of manufacture comprising a computer program carrier readable by
a computer and embodying instructions executable by the computer to
program a computer system to perform the steps of at least one of the
method embodiments of the present invention, including, for example: (a)
accessing a candidate database of candidate data for a plurality of
candidates, including a first candidate, the candidate data of each
candidate including candidate qualification and candidate personal
information; (b) accessing a job posting database of job posting data for
a plurality of job postings, the job posting data for each job posting
including employer information and job criteria; (c) comparing the
qualifications of the first candidate to the job criteria for a plurality
of the job postings; (d) determining a match between the qualifications
of the first candidate and the job criteria for a first job posting
within the plurality of job postings; (e) identifying a softlink between
the first candidate and the employer for the first job posting; (f)
determining a softlink relevance index for the identified softlink; and
(g) generating a ranking of the first candidate among a plurality of
candidates for the first job posting based, at least in part, upon the
softlink relevance index.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The foregoing and other aspects of embodiments are described in
further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like
reference numerals refer to like elements and the description for like
elements shall be applicable for all described embodiments wherever
relevant:

[0030] FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for computerized employment
recruiting according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary system for a system for performing
computerized employment recruiting according to another embodiment of the
present invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] Embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems,
methods and articles for implementing computerized employment recruiting
which can match candidates to job postings, can identify softlinks to
improve the reliability and suitability of candidates matched to a job
posting, and can rank matched candidates in order of their suitability
and reliability for the job posting. Thus, the invention not only
streamlines the employment recruiting process for employers and
candidates, but also provides better matched candidates sorted from
higher ranked candidate to lower ranked candidate. This allows an
employer to find the right candidate for the right job faster and more
efficiently. It also helps candidates find the right job faster and
easier.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 1, in one embodiment of the present invention, a
method 100 for computerized employment recruiting is shown. The method
100 will typically be implemented within a system having a computerized
employment recruiting system, such as the system 200 described in more
detail below. The method 100 comprises a step 102, in which the
computerized employment recruiting system stores and/or accesses a
candidate database of candidate data for a plurality of candidates. The
candidate data for each candidate includes candidate personal data, such
as residence address, mailing address, phone number, other contact
information like email address. The candidate data also includes
candidate qualifications, such as education, work experience, employment
history, salary history, and the like. The candidate data may also
include data regarding the candidate's desired job or career, such as
salary range, location, willingness to relocate, target employers, etc.
As stated above, the system can store the candidate database, or could
simply access a third party candidate database. For example, the operator
of the system could license a candidate database from a third party.

[0034] The method 100 may also include the steps for building the
candidate database, such as receiving and storing candidate data from a
plurality of candidates, the candidate data including candidate personal
information and candidate qualifications. The candidates can transmit the
candidate data to the system by any suitable means. For example, the
candidate can fill out a candidate profile through a website of the
system in which the candidate fill out an online form on an internet
connected device and the candidate data is transmitted through the
internet to the employment recruiting system. In this case, the data
entry device is a computer, such as a personal computer. The candidate
data may be received from a candidate over a voice phone call to a
service provider representative who enters the candidate data into a
computer networked to the employment recruiting system. The candidate
data may also be submitted by a candidate using a cellular phone as the
data entry device, such as a mobile phone or smart phone. The candidate
may enter the data using SMS messaging, MMS messaging, or an application
program running on the mobile phone. In this way, a candidate can access
the employment recruiting system from virtually anywhere. For instance,
the candidate may initiate the sign-up process by sending an SMS message,
such as the word "signup", to a special phone number set up by the
employment recruiting system provider, and operated by a mobile
application system of the provider. Then, the mobile application system
sends SMS messages to the candidate's mobile phone in a series of
information requests to which the candidate can respond with the
responsive candidate data. The mobile application system stores the
candidate's responses as an electronic candidate profile. Then, the
mobile application system transmits the candidate data to the employment
recruiting system. The mobile application system can be integrated with
the employment recruiting system, or it can be a separate system.

[0035] At step 104, the computerized employment recruiting system stores
and/or accesses a job posting database of job posting data for a
plurality of job postings. The job posting data for each job posting
includes employer information, such as employer name, employer address,
and contact information like phone number, email address and contact
person. The job posting data also includes job criteria such as the type
of job, job qualifications such as education and work experience, job
responsibilities, job location (which may differ from the employer
address), and the like. The job posting data may also include data
regarding the job's salary range, relocation package, or other factors
related to the desired candidate. Similar to the candidate database, the
job posting database can be stored in the system or it can be a third
party job posting database accessed by the system.

[0036] Also, similar to the candidate database, the method 100 may also
includes the steps for building the job posting database, including
receiving and storing job posting data from job posters (such as
employers, employment agencies, and the like) for a plurality of job
postings, wherein the job posting data includes employer information and
job criteria. The job posters can transmit, and the system can receive
and store, the job posting data by any of the means described above for
the candidate data. For one, a job poster can fill out a job posting
through a website of the system in which the job poster fills out a form
on an internet connected device and the job posting data is transmitted
through the internet to the employment recruiting system. Job posting
data for a job posting may also be received from a job poster via a voice
phone call to a service provider representative who enters the job
posting data into a computer networked to the employment recruiting
system. The job posting data may also be submitted by a job poster using
a cellular phone communication device, such as a mobile phone or smart
phone. The job poster may enter the data using SMS messaging, MMS
messaging, or an application program running on the mobile phone. As an
example, the job poster may initiate the job posting process by sending
an SMS message, such as the term "job posting", to a special phone number
set up by the employment recruiting system provider, and operated by a
mobile application system of the provider. Then, the mobile application
system sends SMS messages to the job poster's mobile phone in a series of
information requests to which the job poster can respond with the
responsive job posting data. The mobile application system stores the job
poster's responses as an electronic candidate profile. Then, the mobile
application system transmits the job posting data to the employment
recruiting system.

[0037] At step 106, the employment recruiting system compares the
qualifications of candidates to the job criteria for the job postings and
determines one or more matches between the qualifications of the
candidates and the job criteria. The method utilizes a candidate
recommendation engine to compare and match the qualifications of the
candidates to the job criteria for the job postings. The candidate
recommendation engine includes a comparing and matching algorithm to
compare and match candidate qualifications to the job criteria for the
job postings.

[0038] In another aspect of step 106, the comparing and matching algorithm
uses an ontology driven approach to organizing the qualifications and job
criteria within the candidate data and job posting data databases. Within
any profession or job classification, there are specializations and
sub-classifications. The ontology based organization captures the skill
classifications and creates a knowledge base of skills across vertical
levels of job specializations within job classifications. In addition,
the comparing and matching algorithm uses the ontology based organization
of the database to perform a semantic match of candidate qualifications,
job criteria and skill relevancy, by comparing and matching the meaning
of keywords and concepts within the candidate qualifications and job
criteria.

[0039] At step 108, the system identifies "softlinks" between the
candidates and the employers for the respective job postings. The
softlinks are additional references and attributes of the candidates
which are not directly related to the qualifications of the candidates,
such as skill level and proficiency of the candidates, but which provide
some inferred connection between a candidates and an employer tending to
give a higher degree of confidence to the employer to hire the candidate.
A softlink can provide an employer a higher confidence level on the
reliability aspect of a candidate, similar to sourcing a candidate from
the trusted network connections of the employer.

[0040] The term "softlink" is defined above, but the definition is
repeated here for convenience. As used herein, the term "softlink" means
an inferred connection between a candidate and the employer for a job
posting tending to make the candidate a better candidate for a job
posting for an employer, wherein the connection is based upon:

[0041] a. proximity data, including, (i) the proximity of the candidate's
residence to the location of the job or the employer for the job posting,
(ii) the proximity of a previous employer of the candidate and the
location of the job or the employer for the job posting, or (iii)
proximity of a personal reference of the candidate and the employer for
the job posting; or

[0042] b. identification of a potential personal reference for said
candidate by linking personal reference data of the personal reference
and the candidate data, and/or linking personal reference data of the
personal reference and employer data regarding the employer.

[0043] Several non-limiting examples of different softlinks the system may
generate at step 108 are described below:

[0044] 1. Softlink based on proximity of candidate's residence to job
location

[0045] The system uses geographic coordinates of the address of the
employer or job location and the candidate's residence location to
determine the proximity of the two locations. If the distance between the
candidate's residence and the employer or job location is within a
certain proximity, the system will determine this factor as a softlink.
The system may also utilize an application programming interface (API),
such as Google maps, to determine the travel distance and/or travel time
between the two locations. Then, if the travel distance or travel time is
within a certain range, the system will determine this factor as a
softlink. As an example, if the system determines a candidate should be
referred in response to a job posting, the system may send an SMS to the
employer for the job posting, as follows:

[0046] 9742282145, John Pavan, 3 yrs, marketing, Jayanagar

[0047] Candidate residence is 2 blocks away from your office

[0048] The close proximity of the candidate is potentially of great
interest to the employer because the candidate can get to work quickly
and easily, or even when not scheduled to work. The close proximity may
also allow the employer to investigate the candidate from neighborhood
contacts.

[0049] 2. Softlink based on proximity of candidate's previous employer to
job location

[0050] The system uses geographic coordinates of the address of the
employer or job location and the address of a candidate's previous
employment to determine the proximity of the two locations. If the
distance between the employer or job location and the candidate's
previous employment is within a certain proximity, the system will
determine this factor as a softlink. Again, the system may also utilize
an application programming interface (API), such as Google maps, to
determine the travel distance and/or travel time between the two
locations. Then, if the travel distance or travel time is within a
certain range, the system will determine this factor as a softlink. As an
example, if the system determines a candidate should be referred in
response to a job posting, the system may send an SMS to the employer for
the job posting, as follows:

[0051] 9742282145, John Pavan, 3 yrs, marketing, Jayanagar

[0052] Candidate previous employer Kiran Enterprises is on the same street
as your workplace.

[0053] The close proximity of the candidate's previous employer is useful
to the prospective employer for the job posting because the employer may
know the previous employer, or can easily make a personal visit to the
previous employer to obtain a personal reference regarding the candidate.

[0054] 3. Softlink based on proximity of a personal reference of the
candidate and the employer for the job posting

[0055] The system supports the ability for a candidate to input their
network of connections and references, including their addresses. The
system uses geographic coordinates of the address of a candidate's
reference and the address of the employer for the job posting to
determine the proximity of the two locations. If the distance between the
reference and the employer is within a certain proximity, the system will
determine this factor as a softlink. In other words, while the actual
reference is hard linked to the candidate, there is a softlink to the
employer because it is not known whether the employer knows the
reference. Again, the system may also utilize an application programming
interface (API), such as Google maps, to determine the travel distance
and/or travel time between the two locations. Then, if the travel
distance or travel time is within a certain range, the system will
determine this factor as a softlink. The proximity data of the reference
is preferably included along with the reference, to the employer for the
job posting. As an example, if the system determines a candidate should
be referred in response to a job posting, the system may send an SMS to
the employer for the job posting, as follows:

[0056] 9742282145, John Pavan, 3 yrs, marketing, Jayanagar

[0057] Candidate is referred by Joseph Miller, the owner of Amrutha
enterprises, which is located across the street from your business.

[0058] The close proximity of the reference to the employer is useful to
the prospective employer for the job posting because the employer may
know the reference, or can easily make a personal visit to the reference
to obtain a personal reference regarding the candidate.

[0059] 4. Softlink based on identification of potential reference by
linking personal reference data of the personal and the candidate data,
and/or linking personal reference data and employer data

[0060] The system searches for connections that can be used to infer that
a person may be a potential reference for a candidate for an employer of
a job posting by comparing personal reference data within the candidate
database, the job posting database and/or a personal reference database
of the system. The personal reference database may include personal
reference data regarding hardlink connections between an individual and
other individuals, businesses, activities, organizations, social groups,
and the like. As some examples, personal reference data for an individual
may include information regarding the schools attended, children's
schools, membership in organizations such as professional organizations,
charitable organization, social organizations and clubs, familial
relationships, the same or similar data as the candidate data described
above, and the like. Step 108 of method 100 may include a softlink
algorithm to that organizes and analyzes the data within the databases of
the system to identify relationships between the personal reference data,
candidate data and the employer data to identify one or more potential
personal references for a candidate for an employer of a job posting. The
softlink algorithm may utilize semantic matching among keywords and
concepts within the databases to more effectively determine softlinks for
potential personal references.

[0061] As an example of a personal reference softlink, consider that a
candidate went to Harvard University and graduated in 1999. Also assume
that the candidate has candidate qualifications that match the job
criteria for a job posting for Company A. Within a personal reference
database, there is personal reference data for an employee of Company A
that indicates that the employee also attended Harvard University and
graduated in 1999. The softlink algorithm can search for and map all of
the connections between potential references and determine an inferred
connection between the employee of Company A and the candidate. In this
example, the softlink algorithm searches for employees, or even past
employees, of Company A that attended the same school as the candidate
and at the same time period as the candidate. The algorithm identifies
the employee of Company A that attended Harvard University at the same
time as the candidate, based on the assumption that the employee may know
the candidate because they were at the same school at the same time, or
that they may know each other because they have the same alma mater.
While it is possible that the employee does not know anything about the
candidate, the softlink still gives the candidate a potential for having
a higher reliability than other candidates that do not have any
softlinks, or have only softlinks with a lower softlink relevance index,
as explained below. This is just one example, and it should be understood
that the softlink algorithm is configured to search for many types of
connections, not just school based connections.

[0062] At step 110, the employment recruiting system determines a softlink
relevance index for the identified softlink. The softlink relevance index
is a factor for a softlink that is related to a measure of the relevance
or importance of a particular softlink. Softlinks will have varying
degrees of relevance to making a candidate more reliable and/or desirable
to an employer for a job posting. Thus, the softlink relevance index
gives a different weight to various softlinks which is used to rank the
candidates at step 112, as described below. For instance, a softlink for
a first candidate based on the proximity of the first candidate's
residence to the employer may be a stronger, more relevant hiring factor
than a personal reference softlink for a second candidate based on a
remote connection between a potential personal reference and the
employer. In this case, the proximity based softlink will be weighted
much greater than the personal reference softlink in ranking the
candidates. Thus, if the first and second candidates are in all other
respects equal (such as equal qualifications, etc.) for a job posting,
the first candidate would be ranked higher than the second candidate. Not
only may different types of softlinks have a different softlink relevance
index, but softlinks of the same type may be determined to have a
different softlink relevance index. For example, the softlink relevance
index for proximity based softlinks may be related to the actual
distance, such as a closer proximity has a higher index than a farther
proximity. Or, a potential personal reference softlink having a closer
relationship will have a higher index than a potential personal reference
softlink that is remote, and less likely to result in a reliable
reference for the employer.

[0063] The system may utilize a softlink relevance index algorithm to
determine the softlink relevance index for a softlink. The softlink
relevance index algorithm may be integrated with the softlink algorithm
described above, or it may be separate.

[0064] The softlink algorithm and/or the softlink relevance index
algorithm may utilize feedback of historical hiring decisions and other
user interaction with the system to modify and optimize the algorithms.
For instance, the system may be configured to support an employer to
conduct telephonic interviews with candidates recommended by the system.
The system can monitor the list of candidates to determine which
candidates are called by the employers for interviews and the duration of
such calls. One method of facilitating mobile telephone calls between
candidates and employers, and monitoring the calls, is described in U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 12/821,735, filed Jun. 23, 2010, the
disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
The system can also receive feedback from employers and/or candidates
when a recommended candidate is hired. Candidates that are interviewed
and/or hired are the candidates that the employers considered to be the
most desirable, and the less desirable candidates are not interviewed or
hired. The system uses this information to correlate the softlink
information for the more desirable and less desirable candidates, and
then adapts the softlink algorithm and/or softlink relevance index
algorithm to determine and weight the softlinks more in line with the
empirical data. As an example, if candidates with residences close to the
employers are frequently being interviewed and hired, then the system may
adapt the algorithm to increase the maximum proximity for indicating a
softlink, and also increase the softlink relevance index for such
proximity softlinks

[0065] At step 112, the employment recruiting system generates a ranking
of the candidates that are determined have candidate qualifications
matching the job criteria for the job posting. In ranking the candidates,
step 112 uses a candidate recommendation engine/algorithm to place the
candidates in order from most desirable candidate to least desirable
candidate (or vice versa). The candidate recommendation algorithm bases
the ranking, at least in part, upon the softlink relevance index or
indexes for each of the qualified candidates. A candidate can have more
than one softlink, and thus, one more than one softlink relevance index,
which is used by the candidate recommendation algorithm to rank the
candidate. Typically, the candidate recommendation algorithm also assigns
a candidate qualification index to each of the candidates related to the
degree of qualifications of each respective candidate. The system may
determine candidate qualification relevance indexes for each of the
various qualification factors, based on the relative importance of each
qualification factor. The system then combines each of the candidate
qualification relevance indexes into an overall candidate qualification
index. The candidate recommendation algorithm may also factor in other
factors such as salary, career goals, relocation, hard link personal
references, etc. The candidate recommendation algorithm then combines the
qualification index and the softlink relevance index(es) for each
candidate to rank the candidates from highest to lowest.

[0066] At step 114, the employment recruiting system makes available to
the employer a list of the ranked candidates for the job posting to the
employer (or other contact specified by the job poster of the job
posting, such as a recruiter or employment agency, all of which are
considered the employer for purposes of step 114). The system may make
the list available to the employer by any suitable means, such as a list
accessible via system website on the internet, transmitting the list via
email to the employer, or transmitting the list to a cellular
communication device via a cellular phone network. The system may make
available only a specified number of the top ranked candidates at a time,
so that the employer is not overwhelmed by a long list which may include
marginally desirable candidates. For instance, the system first sends a
specified number of the top ranked candidates. The number of candidates
in a transmitted list may be a default number determined by the system, a
number specified by the employer, or a number set in another suitable
manner. For example, if the system is configured to send the list to a
mobile phone of the employer, then a smaller number of candidates may be
preferable. If the list is being sent via email, the list may be much
longer.

[0067] Just as the system may receive candidate data and job posting data
via a cellular phone network from a communication device such as a
cellular phone or smart phone, the system may send candidate
recommendations to employers, and job posting recommendations to
candidates via a cellular phone network to the employers and candidates,
respectively. The candidate recommendations and job posting
recommendations may be sent using SMS messaging, MMS messaging, or an
application program running on the cellular communication device.
Accordingly, candidates and employers may utilize the employment
recruiting system using only a cellular communication device, such as a
cellular phone or smart phone. Of course, as described herein, candidates
and/or employers may also utilize an internet connected computer to
access and use the employment recruiting system.

[0068] Turning now to FIG. 2, a non-limiting example of a system 200 is
depicted that may be used to implement any of the methods for employment
recruiting, including method 100 described above and any other method
embodiments described herein. The system 200 comprises an employment
recruiting system 202 which includes one or more computers, servers, and
storage devices 203. The computer(s) host an employment recruiting
software program. The software application is configured to perform the
steps of the method, such as accessing and/or storing a candidate
database and a job posting database, comparing qualifications of
candidates to job criteria for job postings, determining a match between
the qualifications of candidates and the job criteria for job postings,
identifying softlinks, determining softlink relevance indexes, generating
a ranking of candidates based upon the softlink relevance indexes, and
making the ranking of candidates available to the employer for the job
posting.

[0069] The storage devices 203 store the candidate database and the job
posting database. The employment recruiting system 202 may access the
candidate database and job posting database through a communication
network 204a.

[0070] The communication network 204a provides communication with a data
entry device 206, such as an internet connected computer, or internet
enabled device, or a cellular communication device such as a mobile phone
or smart phone. The system 200 may further comprise a website server 208
which may comprise one or more computers, servers and peripherals in
operable communication with each other in which at least one of the
servers is connected to the internet, such as through the communication
network 204a. The website server 208 includes pages, files and software
programming, such as a system software application, for interacting with
a candidate's or employer' web enabled data entry device 206. The web
enabled device 206 may be a computer (such as a personal computer), a
handheld web-enabled device, a PDA (personal digital assistant), a mobile
phone, or other electronic device having a display which can receive
electronic data and display a graphic represented by the electronic data.
The website server 208 may display an application form and other
information to allow a candidate or employer to use the employment
recruiting system 202.

[0071] The system 200 may also comprise a mobile application interface 210
configured to communicate with a data entry device that is a cellular
communication device 212 such as a mobile phone or smart phone. The
mobile application interface 210 is in operable communication with a
cellular phone provider system 214 through a communication network 204b.
The mobile application interface 210 provides communication of
information between the employment recruiting system 202 and the mobile
cellular device 212. As described above, the system 200 can then
facilitate the use of the system 202 using messaging services, like SMS
and MMS, or an app running on the mobile cellular device 212.

[0072] Each of the communication networks 204a-b may include a proprietary
network, LAN, WAN, cellular network, wireless network, the internet
and/or other suitable network, or a any combination of thereof.

[0073] Accordingly, a system 200 is provided which can provide and
implement the methods for computerized employment recruiting according to
the method 100, and any other methods described herein.

[0074] The method 100, as well as any other method embodiments described
herein, may also be embodied in, or readable from, a computer-readable
medium (computer program carrier), e.g., one or more of the fixed and/or
removable data storage data devices and/or data communications devices
connected to a computer. The computer program carrier is readable by a
computer and embodies instructions executable by the computer to perform
the method steps of programming a computer to perform the methods 100, or
any other method embodiments described herein. Carriers may be, for
example, magnetic storage medium, optical storage medium and
magneto-optical storage medium. Examples of carriers include, but are not
limited to, a floppy diskette, a memory stick or a flash drive, CD-R,
CD-RW, CD-ROM, DVD-R, and DVD-RW.

[0075] Although particular embodiments have been shown and described, it
is to be understood that the above discussion is not intended to limit
the scope of these embodiments. While embodiments and variations of the
many aspects of the invention have been disclosed and described herein,
such disclosure is provided for purposes of explanation and illustration
only. Thus, various changes and modifications may be made without
departing from the scope of the claims. Accordingly, embodiments are
intended to exemplify alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that
may fall within the scope of the claims.